I Need You Now
by spitsgirl18
Summary: Sam's in a band and Mercedes and her friends go to see one of his concerts. After an unexpected, and unfortunate, meeting Sam starts fighting to get Mercedes to love him but then something tragic happens and Mercedes becomes the one fighting for Sam.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre**: Romance/Angst

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I don`t own Glee or any of its characters. Also, the songs I mentioned belong to their respective artists.

**A****/****N:** This is my first fanfiction. I`ve been reading them since my cousin introduced me to them a couple months ago, so I decided to try writing one. Sam`s band is based loosely around my cousin`s band (the songs they play) which is where I got my idea for this story. I hope you like it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – <strong>

"C'mon 'Cedes! We're going to be late!" Kurt Hummel yelled up the stairs to his best friend, Mercedes Jones. "I'm sure your hair is good enough, I don't want to miss this band."

"Calm down, calm down, boy," Mercedes retorted, appearing at the top of the stairs. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a black tank top and a purple jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail and she had on purple high tops that matched her jacket.

"Wow, Mercedes, you look HOT!" Kurt exclaimed, clapping his hands gleefully.

"I know," Mercedes said, nonchalantly, and both friends burst out laughing. "You do too, by the way."

Kurt pirouetted in his own black skinny jeans, tight black dress shirt and white bow tie. His hair was immaculately done, as usual, not even a hair out of place.

"So, anybody you're trying to impress with that beautiful outfit, may I ask?" Kurt questioned, eying her outfit.

"Nope," Mercedes answered, immediately. Despite Kurt's smirk, she would not give any indication as to whom her outfit was aimed to catch the attention of.

When Kurt was satisfied that Mercedes was telling the truth, or at least sure that he was most definitely NOT going to get her to spill, he glanced down at his watch. He let out a small gasp and grabbed Mercedes' arm.

"We are running late. We might miss the band; I will not live if we miss this band. Let's go!"

Mercedes laughed at Kurt's persistence and excitement, even though she didn't really like the band they were going to see all that much. She felt that the lead singer, Sam Evans, was just stuck up and obnoxious, and that the rest of his 'cronies', as she liked to call them, weren't much better. She felt it had something to do with the fact that they had become so famous at such a young age (well, not that young, they were the same age as Mercedes and Kurt) and in such a short period of time. She had agreed to go because Kurt had insisted, and she had a really difficult time saying no when Kurt begged. She also decided that this would be a good opportunity to get some ideas for improving her and Kurt's band, New Directions.

Mercedes knew that most of the reason that Kurt loved the band (she couldn't even remember the name because she paid so little attention to them) was because of a certain curly-haired guitar player by the name of Blaine. She could see the appeal in his captivating eyes, his lush dark curls and his fun-loving attitude when they performed songs, but it wasn't enough for her to completely obsess over the band like Kurt did.

At this point, Kurt had whipped out his phone and was frantically texting all of their friends that they were on their way and to save them some room in the grass so they could watch.

The two ran down the street (well walked at a fairly quick pace, they didn't want any sweat marks or anything) towards the park in the middle of town where the concert was taking place. They reached the park with 5 minutes to spare, and received a multitude of texts from their friends on where to meet them.

The pair strolled through the park, Kurt being in much less of a hurry now that he could see the stage and knew they weren't going to miss the performance. As they made their way to the spot where their friends were waiting for them, Mercedes saw many posters with pictures of the band members rocking out on their own instruments; Sam with his microphone, Blaine and Puck with their guitars, Tina with her keyboard, and Mike on his drums. Mercedes had to smile at the excited expressions on the band members' faces in the pictures, and at all the diehard fans milling around the park, waiting for the show to start. She frowned, though, every time it was Sam featured in the poster because she still couldn't stand him.

When they reached their friends who were situated surprisingly close to the stage, Mercedes relaxed a little, feeling for the first time that this might actually be fun. She hugged hello to Quinn and Brittany, smiled at Rachel and Santana and high fived Finn and Artie. Finn, Artie and Rachel are all in Kurt and Mercedes' band. Finn plays the drums, Artie and Rachel play guitar, Kurt plays the keyboard and he and Mercedes are the lead singers, with Rachel pitching in from time to time and Artie doing any rapping, if necessary. Quinn, Brittany and Santana were all friends with the band members and were their number one fans.

"You guys made it!" exclaimed Finn, happily hugging his step-brother, Kurt. "Aren't our spots amazing? We're practically on the stage!"

Finn was bouncing up and down like an over-excited child and most of Mercedes' other friends all looked very excited as well. Frankly, she just couldn't understand it, but she mustered up her strength and plastered an "I'm happy to be here" smile on her face. Her friends were completely oblivious to her inner anger at being there rather than looking for great deals at the mall, or singing in her bedroom. But, of course, she was here, under the scorching sun, about to listen to a band that would likely give her a migraine or something.

All eight friends made themselves comfortable on the blankets they had spread across the ground, just as the band took the stage to a roar from the audience. Sam took his place in the middle of the stage and smiled his big-lipped smile at the crowd. "Hello Lima!" he yelled, as the crowd cheered enthusiastically. "We're Pandora's Scar and we're here to rock with you today!" The crowd yelled and cheered even more as Sam turned around to motion for the band to start playing.

Kurt cheered as he recognized the first song as Kid Rock's All Summer Long. He stood up, along with his friends, and the rest of the crowd, and started dancing, loving the upbeat tempo of the song, and the buzzing atmosphere all around him.

Sam finished cheering to loud cheers from the assembled audience. "Next we'll be singing, Hello Goodbye by the Beatles!" Sam said.

As the song began, Sam and Blaine started singing it sort of like a duet, but then the crowd jumped in, singing every other line along with the band. Even if Mercedes couldn't stand Sam Evans, she could admire a great performance and she had to admit that he had picked a great song for including the crowd.

They followed with a few more Beatles' songs (Revolution, Drive My Car and A Hard Day's Night) and then some Elvis (Jailhouse Rock). At this point in the show, even Mercedes had to smile because despite the seemingly obnoxious side to the lead singer, they were a very talented group of people that she couldn't help smiling as she listened.

Kurt turned and smiled at her as he danced in his spot and then turned back to continue to stare at the curly-haired guitarist.

The group finished their tribute to older bands with Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode. Kurt was beaming and at the end of Blaine's guitar solo he felt as if he might faint. Instead he just watched Blaine until they made eye contact and then, surprisingly, Blaine winked.

Kurt beamed and turned to Mercedes to get her reaction but Mercedes had turned away and was in the midst of asking their friends if anyone wanted a drink because she needed a break from watching Sam waltz around like he was king of the world. Kurt didn't really understand why Mercedes had such a problem with Sam, but he didn't want to push the issue, so he just told her he'd like a Diet Coke and she went on her way.

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><p>It was almost intermission anyway, so Mercedes had decided to beat the rush and go a little early to the concession stands. She got herself an orange pop, Kurt his Diet Coke and her other friends their drinks as well. She grabbed a tray to carry the drinks back on, since she was not an octopus and could not carry eight drinks in her hands.<p>

Mercedes decided to try and walk around behind the stage to get back to her seat, in hopes of staying away from the crowds. She was being careful, because as anyone who has tried to carry a tray with eight drinks on it knows, it is quite difficult to ensure that all cups stay upright and balanced while moving.

She was almost back to her seat, she could see her friends all milling around talking about how amazing the show was, no doubt, when a flash of yellow caught her eye. She turned around and crashed smack into another person. The tray with all of the drinks on it, flipped and every one of the eight drinks came crashing on her new (and favourite) jacket.

"Watch where you're going!" she growled angrily, wanting to give the oblivious and clumsy person a piece of her mind.

When she spun around again to face the person who had crashed into her, with a ferocious glare on her face and anger tinting her vision red, she found herself face to face with the one person she wanted to see the least.

Sam Evans.

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><p><strong>A<strong>**/****N**: In case anyone`s wondering, the name of the band represents Sam`s love of Avatar and Blaine/Darren`s love of Harry Potter. I hope you liked the first chapter. I`m pretty busy right now so I might not get to update very soon, but I`ll try. Please review, or something, and let me know if you liked it and how I can improve.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee. I also do not own any of the songs, bands or artists mentioned in this chapter.

**A/N:** So here`s chapter 2. I`m so glad that people are actually reading my story. It makes me really happy when I get a review, or story alert, or favourite. So thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – <strong>

"You... you..." she shrieked, balling her hands up into fists and shaking with rage. "I can't believe you just did that! You just ruined a $150 jacket AND wasted about $35 worth of drinks. Argh!"

"I am so sorry!" Sam exclaimed, emphasizing each word with meaning. "I could buy you a new one, and new drinks."

Sam pulled out his wallet and started leafing through a large wad of bills. "You obnoxious jerk!" Mercedes yelled. "I don`t want your stupid money! I can`t stand that you think you can do whatever you want, just because your band is somewhat popular!"

Sam frowned. "What are..." Sam started to say, looking completely confused, but Mercedes interrupted him.

"Don`t go acting like you don`t know what I`m talking about! You just go around flaunting your money, and fame and whatever and think that girls are just going to melt at your feet. Well guess what! They don`t! Well not me, at least."

Sam looked around and saw that people were starting to stare. "Could you calm down just a bit? People are staring."

"Do you think I care!" she screamed. "You`re just too worried about your image, and how people see you to think that you may have messed up and your over-sized wallet can`t get you out of it this time!"

Mercedes shrugged off her purple jacket that now had many different colours on it now, blending with the purple. It did look pretty bad, but Sam couldn`t understand what the problem was; just put it in the wash and good as new. He was quite distracted by the tight black tank top that Mercedes was wearing underneath the jacket, though. Were people allowed to look that hot? he thought.

At this point Kurt and their friends had started walking over to see what the problem was, and wondering why Mercedes was taking so long with the drinks. When Kurt saw Sam standing there looking completely bewildered and Mercedes gesturing angrily at the jacket in her hand, he understood what had happened and knew that Sam was in BIG trouble.

"I saved up for months to get this jacket!" Sam couldn`t believe that she was still yelling at him. It was an accident, and truth be told, they were probably both at fault for not looking where they were going. "And you go and ruin it in a matter of seconds!"

Sam was starting to get a headache. He knew he should have just stayed backstage like Blaine had suggested, and avoided this whole mess, but he had insisted that he needed some air. He had promised to stay behind the stage to avoid any run-ins with over-excited fans. That worked out great, he thought.

By now some other teenagers had walked up and were talking to Mercedes. Sam assumed that they were her friends because a couple of them kept sending him murderous glares as she talked. He also noticed how her features softened when she talked to them, especially the skinny brunet that he had noticed Blaine staring at through the first half of the show.

The skinny guy came over to him and said, "It`s probably best if you get back to your band. Don`t worry about the jacket or the drinks, we`ll deal with Mercedes. She was just kind of dragged here and is in a pretty bad mood right now. You guys have been playing great. Mercedes will probably go home now, though."

"Can you convince her to stay for a few more songs?" Sam asked, an idea forming in his head. He just couldn`t get the way she looked at the skinny boy out of his head, and he wanted her to stare at him like that. He wasn`t really sure why, because he had just met and she had been screaming at him the whole time, but he liked her. He liked her a lot.

Kurt looked at Sam. "I`ll see what I can do, but it won`t be easy."

"Thanks," Sam replied, smiling at the boy.

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><p>A few minutes later, Sam was standing backstage talking to Blaine. "Is that weird? I should hate her for trying to humiliate me like that, but I just can`t get that brief smile out of my mind and I wish she would smile at me like that."<p>

"Nah, it`s you being a guy. What are you going to do about it?" Blaine asked. Blaine still couldn`t get the wide grin on Mercedes` beautiful friend`s face when he had winked at him out of his head. "I would love if you would introduce me to that beautiful boy that was with her, the one who talked to you."

"I`ll see what I can do. But I have an idea for a song that we can perform to get Mercedes to maybe not hate me as much. Or maybe she`ll hate me more but it will be worth it, just to try."

"Ok," Blaine said slowly. "What song?"

"_Need You Now_ by Lady Antebellum."

Blaine gave Sam a weird look, but said, "Alright, let`s tell the others."

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><p>By that point, Kurt had managed to somewhat calm down Mercedes. He had helped her wipe down her jacket, and then all 8 friends had trooped back to the refreshment stands to get new drinks. Mercedes was still scowling, but she had promised Kurt that she would stay for a little while longer and listen to him talk about Blaine while she tried to ignore Sam.<p>

The friends made themselves comfortable on their blankets again and prepared for the second half of the show to start. They were just talking about nothing in particular, enjoying being in each other`s company.

The show started again with some newer songs. The band played _Forget You_ by Cee Lo Green,_ If Today Was Your Last Day _by Nickelback and _Move Along_ by The All American Rejects. Then, Sam stopped before they started their next song and turned around to nod at his other band members. They all understood the signal and got prepared to play a song that was not in their normal shows.

"The next song we are going to do is very different from anything else that we normally play," Sam stated to the crowd. This caused some excited murmuring to erupt in the crowd. "There is someone I have been trying to apologize to but she just won`t hear it, so I hope this song helps. Here we go; I think you all will know it."

All of Mercedes` friends turned around to look at her and she just scowled, but there was a faint blush barely visible on her dark skin. She crossed her arms over her chest and prepared for some cheesy "I`m sorry" song.

Sam started singing, staring straight at Mercedes as he did.

_Picture perfect memories  
>Scattered all around the floor<br>Reaching for the phone  
>Cause I can`t fight it anymore<em>

_And I wonder if I  
>Ever cross your mind<br>For me it happens all the time_

At this point Blaine joined in on the chorus, staring right at Kurt and smiling. Kurt blushed, his cheeks tinted a dark red, but he was smiling at Blaine as well.

_It's a quarter after one  
>I'm all alone<br>And I need you now  
>Said I wouldn't call<br>But I've lost all control  
>And I need you now<em>

And I don't know how  
>I can do without<br>I just need you now

The crowd really loved the song, swaying and some were even singing along. Mercedes still looked quite angry, she didn`t know why Sam would have picked this song to sing to her, it almost seemed like he was trying to ask her out. He couldn`t be, could he? she thought.

Kurt, on the other hand, looked overjoyed by the way Blaine was singing and staring right at him the whole time. He made sure not to break eye contact with Blaine, so Blaine knew that Kurt got the message that he was singing to him.

Mercedes looked away from the stage and saw Finn looking lovingly at Rachel, and then back up to the stage where Mike and Tina were staring at each other. Mercedes was getting sickened by all the love around her and she just wanted to leave.

As the song drew to a close, Mercedes gathered her stuff and made to leave but Kurt looked up at her with glassy eyes and begged her to stay. She honestly couldn`t refuse when he looked at her like that, and she also knew that there was an apology in the look he was giving her. He was promising to make it up to her, for spending her entire afternoon at a concert for a band she didn`t even like, _and _getting food spilled on her.

Sam looked over at her pleadingly, hoping she would get the message that for some strange reason, though she had been nothing but rude to him, that he liked her. She just narrowed her eyes at him and turned away.

Darn, Sam thought, this is going to be harder than I thought. When he glanced over at Blaine, he noticed that the boy had a huge goofy grin on his face and was looking towards the skinny brunet. I guess one of us got our point across, Sam decided. He was genuinely happy for Blaine because he had been so lonely these last few months, with Mike and Tina being together and Puck finding a different girl in every city. Sam had had a girlfriend until a couple weeks ago when she had dumped him saying he traveled too much and had to pick the band or her. He didn`t want a girlfriend that made him choose between what he loved to do, and who he loved to be with, so he chose the band which did not make his girlfriend, well now his ex-girlfriend, happy.

The band played a few more songs by Nickelback, Lincoln Park and Theory of a Deadman before the show ended. All in all, it had ended up being a pretty good show and the crowd had clearly loved it.

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><p>After the concert, Sam went to get some fresh air again. He went behind the stage and just sat on the bottom step of the stairs leading onto the stage. He had been staring intently at the ground but he looked up when a pair of fashionable shoes appeared in front of him. He looked up into the bright blue-green eyes of the skinny brunet.<p>

"Hi," Sam said. "Does she still hate me?"

"Hate is a pretty strong word. I think maybe, strongly dislikes you would be a better way to put it," Kurt replied. He gave Sam a pitying look. "I`m Kurt, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," Sam said. "I don`t know why your friend doesn`t like me, I mean all I did was accidently spill food on her, and it wasn`t even entirely my fault. I can`t imagine that that is the reason she would despise me so quickly."

"Well..." Kurt hesitated, not knowing if he should trust Sam with this information. "If you can ever get her to talk to you, she might tell you the whole story."

"Would you please help me? I just want to talk to her. Well I _want _her to like me, but talking would be a good start. I could give you something in return. Hmm, let`s see." Sam tapped his finger on his chin, thinking. Then his face lit up. "I got it! I`ll introduce you to Blaine."

Kurt couldn`t hide his delighted smile. "I honestly don`t know how much help I will be, she`s pretty stubborn. But you`ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Evans."

Sam smiled at Kurt and shook his hand. "Let`s do this."

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><p><strong>AN:** So I hope you liked it. Please review, or something, it makes my day when you do! I`m going to be going away for a week, in a week, so I`m really busy this week, but I will try to update again at least once, maybe twice depending how much time I can get to write. Thanks so much for reading! And if you haven`t already, check out the stories by my cousin, EragonArya.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or any of its characters.

**A/N:** I`m sorry this took so long to post. This was actually supposed to be what happens in chapter four but I guess it ended up needing to be put here and what was supposed to happen in this chapter will be in chapter four. It sounds odd but it will make more sense this way. Just in case you get confused, if it`s more than a couple words (a few paragraphs, for example) in italics then it is a flashback. If there are any Klaine fans reading this, I hope I did them justice. I also want to thank EragonArya with helping me with my lack of an imagination. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all of the feedback you guys have given. It`s really helped with my writing and made me happy. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – <strong>

Sam motioned for Kurt to follow him up the stairs and back behind the stage. "Thanks for doing this," Sam said as they walked. "It`s kind of odd because she tried to humiliate me, but I can`t stand anyone hating me the way Mercedes seems to, without any reason that I know of. I really want her to like me."

"Well, I haven`t done anything yet. And, like I said, I don`t know how much help I can be. Once you`re on Mercedes` bad side, it`s really hard to get off. Trust me, I know," Kurt stated. He was getting really excited; he was only a few feet from Blaine.

"Just wait here a second," Sam said. "I need to make sure Blaine is presentable."

"`Kay," Kurt said. On the inside he was squealing, and jumping up and down. This morning when he woke up he had had no idea that he would be meeting his favourite rock star that day. The excitement was nearly threatening to swallow him. Breathe, he thought, he already winked at you so he probably won`t hate you.

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><p>"Blaine?" Sam said, looking around. "I brought someone to see you."<p>

Blaine was sitting in front of a mirror pulling on his curls and frowning. "Hey Sam, should I gel these, or something? They`re getting in the way... Wait, what! I thought you promised you would stop bringing back crazed fans, I`m tired of getting girls` phone numbers. It makes me feel bad when I have no interest in calling or going out with any of them."

Blaine turned back around and continued to stare at his hair as Sam smirked behind him. "Trust me, I think you`ll like this fan."

"Why? Who is it?" Blaine asked absently, still focusing on his hair. "Seriously, Sam, what should I do about these curls?"

"I`d have to say I like them like them like that," a higher voice that Blaine didn`t recognize declared.

Blaine spun around. "Sam, what on... Hey! It`s... Oh my gosh, I can`t believe you actually brought him back here. Wow! This is just unbelievable!" Blaine was incredibly excited. He jumped out of his chair and stretched out his hand to Kurt. "Hi! I`m Blaine! What did you think of the show?" Wow, Blaine thought as he shook Kurt`s hand, he has really soft skin.

They probably held hands for a little longer than necessary, and only let go when Sam cleared his throat.

Kurt laughed at Blaine`s excitement, happy that he wasn`t the only one who was extremely ecstatic right then. "I`m Kurt," Kurt said. "I am a huge fan and I have always wanted to meet you. Your show was amazing and I loved your choice of songs. You`re so good on guitar and your singing is incredible. My friends and I are in a band too, but we`re just starting out, trying to get gigs and stuff. I play the keyboard and I`m one of the lead singers. I _would_ play the guitar but I have a strict no callous law on my hands. Wow! I`m babbling, just tell me to shut up when I do that. I do it mostly when I`m excited or nervous and I`m both, meeting you because you`re just amazing. And really, Kurt, did you just say that out loud. Ok, time to shut up."

Kurt stopped talking and looked down, his face bright red. Blaine chuckled and the sound made Kurt look up. It wasn`t the mocking type of laugh that he usually got, this was a more friendly laugh.

"Well," said Sam, "I best be going, but here`s my number, Kurt. Please call me or text me if you come up with any way that I can get Mercedes to like me even a little bit more."

"Ok, fine, whatever," Kurt said distractedly, waving his hand in a shooing gesture in Sam`s direction and staring at Blaine while Blaine shooed Sam away too.

These two are going to work out just fine, thought Sam. Now I`ve killed two birds with one stone; I`ve gotten someone to help me with getting Mercedes to like me, and I won`t have Blaine whining about how he should have gone to talk to the skinny boy.

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><p>Sam was feeling very proud of himself as he exited the stage area, only to see Mercedes looking around anxiously.<p>

"Hey!" he called. "What are you looking for?"

She turned her head at his voice and scowled. "If you really must know," she snapped. "I`m looking for Kurt."

"Oh, well he`s kind of busy right now."

Mercedes crossed her arms over her chest. "Really, and how would _you_ know?"

This was not going well. Sam still had no idea why she was so angry at him, but he was getting tired of it. "Well, for your information, I introduced him to Blaine, and they seemed to hit it off."

"Okay..." Mercedes seemed to stop and think. She was happy that Kurt got to meet Blaine, if not only so he wouldn`t be fretting about not taking the chance later. She also knew that there must be something in it for Sam, he wouldn`t just introduce the two randomly without some ulterior motive, would he? "So what`s in it for you?" she asked. Geez Mercedes, you`re being bold today, she thought.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked, looking incredulous and then guilty.

So I was right, though Mercedes. "You heard me," she said out loud instead. "What are you getting out of Blaine meeting Kurt?"

"Nothing," Sam said. "I felt that the two should meet because Blaine`s been lonely and Kurt looked like someone that he would..." Sam hesitated. "Get along well with."

Mercedes knew he was lying, but she really didn`t feel like pushing the issue. She was also wondering what she was doing still standing there talking to Sam. "I`ve got to go," Mercedes said quickly, spinning on her heel and making to walk off across the park.

"Wait! Mercedes! Whatever it is I did wrong, I really am sorry," Sam called after her.

"You know, Sam," Mercedes said, looking over her shoulder. "I was hoping that just by seeing me you would know what you did wrong. But I guess you are better at forgetting than I originally thought."

Mercedes was back to being incredibly angry and she spit out the last part of her sentence before turning back around and taking off across the park.

What on EARTH is she talking about? Sam thought.

* * *

><p><em>"Sammy! Sammy!" Mercedes called as she ran into his bedroom one Saturday morning. Sam was sitting on the floor holding a Power Ranger and he smiled up at Mercedes when she raced in.<em>

_"What do you want to do today, `Cedes?" Sam asked throwing down his Power Ranger. _

_"Hmm," she said, tapping her chin in a thinking gesture. "Let`s go to the park and play on the monkey bars, or the swings."_

_"Ok!" Sam cried jumping up. "Race you to the door?" _

_"Yay!" Mercedes answered, running from the room._

_The two seven-year olds pounded down the stairs. "We`re going to the park, mom!" Sam called on his way out the door._

_"Ok, have fun and be careful," Mrs. Evans called back._

_The park wasn`t located too far from the street that Sam and Mercedes lived on as neighbours, but it was in a different neighbourhood, a rich neighbourhood. It took them about ten minutes to walk there, but they went almost every day so they didn`t find it that bad. _

_When they got there, they noticed that there was a birthday party going on. Mercedes looked down at her ratty sweatpants and old t-shirt, and then at the pretty dresses and outfits on all the little girls celebrating the birthday, and she frowned. She knew that she would never be able to afford anything like that, even if she was only seven she could understand that her family was not as well off as these girls` families. _

_Mercedes looked up at Sam, who hadn`t seemed to have noticed and was making a bee-line for the jungle gym. "Sammy?" she asked. "Why do you think it is that I can never get a new pretty dress like those girls have?"_

_"Well," said Sam, sounding much older than seven. "I don`t know why, but I DO know that money doesn`t matter. You are so good at making your own pretty outfits and you always look beautiful, `Cedes. In my opinion, it`s not what you wear or how much money you have that matters, it`s what you do with your life and who you choose to spend your time with that matters. I want you to promise me that you will never let money or fame or whatever rule your life, no matter what we end up doing with our lives. Money doesn`t and can`t solve every problem but it`s always important to have good friends you can trust and rely on. We`re gonna be best friends forever, right `Cedes?"_

_Mercedes had been listening very carefully to Sam`s speech and she smiled and bumped his shoulder with her own. "I promise to always be your best friend, Sammy."_

_Now that she wasn`t worrying about the other girls or money, Mercedes raced Sam to the swings and they played for hours. _

_Later that night, Mercedes thought about what Sam had said and she knew he was right, money didn`t matter, as long as Sam agreed to be her friend forever._

* * *

><p>Mercedes was livid. How dare Sam forget her? He had promised all those years ago that they would never forget each other and they would always be best friends, and Mercedes had kept her promise for all these years, but Sam had not. Now she felt that she shouldn`t just forgive him after all these years, and that he should realize what his neglect felt like.<p>

Sam was incredibly confused. As far as he could remember, he had never met Mercedes in his life, and he couldn`t understand why she was so angry over a $150 jacket. It wasn`t it like it was _that_ expensive, he felt, and he could have easily bought her another one.

* * *

><p>As Sam sat in his and Blaine`s hotel room brooding over how to get Mercedes to like him, Blaine came in with a huge goofy grin on his face and gave Sam a hug. "Thank you so much, Sam, for introducing Kurt to me. You are the best friend ever."<p>

Sam looked up at him with tired eyes, but he smiled anyways as he was genuinely happy for his friend. "No problem, buddy, I know he wanted to meet you really bad too."

"Well, I`m taking him out to that new superhero movie tomorrow night if that`s ok. I figured since this place is near our hometowns, we could stay a little bit longer. Is that fine with you?" Blaine asked.

"Of course, I`m going to need all the time I can get to get Mercedes to stop hating me. I`m going to call Kurt tomorrow to see if he has any ideas about what would best win Mercedes trust, and maybe affection, because for some reason I have this strange feeling that I _need_ her to like me and forgive me for _whatever _it was I apparently did wrong."

"Well, good luck, Sam. If you need my help, you know where to find me and after what you did for me today with Kurt, I`ll do anything you need." Blaine smiled sleepily down at Sam before turning away to pick up his pajamas.

Sam crawled under the covers on his bed. "Thanks Blaine, goodnight."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So I hope you liked it and everyone understands why Mercedes is angry at Sam. I will get into it more, later. If you have any questions or suggestions don`t hesitate to review, I`ll try and explain the situation as best as possible. I`m going to be going away for a week (leaving tomorrow) so I won`t get to post anything until at least next Sunday, unless I get really lucky. I`ll try to get a few up in a row quickly after this and I`m sorry I tend to take so long. Please review or something, it always makes my day when I get a review or story alert or favourite. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee, or any of the characters.

**A/N:** So I'm sorry it's been a week, but I warned you that I might not have good Internet. This chapter was really difficult to write because I have no experience with a guy wooing me, so I don't know what they do. I hope this is ok. It's also a bit longer than my other chapters but that's because I have plans for chapters 5 and 6 so I needed to fit all of this information into one chapter. I'm also sorry if you find it less eventful than other chapters, whenever I write I always have one really boring stretch connecting two important parts. I hope you like my attempt. Any Klaine fans out there, I hope I did them justice, but if not, this is a Samcedes story and they're not really the focus. I want to thank EragonArya (again) for helping me brainstorm and inspiring me to actually finish this chapter now. I'm going to be getting really busy again starting next week but this story is almost done so hopefully I'll be able to finish before my life gets too crazy. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – <strong>

Sam called up Kurt the following day as soon as he felt that he might not be waking up the other boy.

"Hello?" said Kurt, groggily and sounding slightly annoyed that someone would be calling him at this early time of… 11:00am.

"Hi Kurt," replied Sam cheerfully. "I just wanted to call and ask if you had come up with any ideas on how I can get Mercedes to like me."

"Oh, hi Sam," Kurt replied, trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes and sound more awake at the same time. "I know I've told you that I probably won't be much help but I can tell you what she likes and then you can come up with a way to use that to win her over or something if you want."

"Ok, sounds good. Thanks, Kurt," Sam responded.

"Alright, let's see…" Kurt thought hard, completely pushing anymore sleepiness out of his mind and only thinking of Mercedes. "I know that she LOVES tater tots, even though I personally wouldn't suggest you use that because they are SO unhealthy. "

Sam laughed at the other end of the line. "Ok, what else?"

"Umm, hmm, she likes musicals, and theatre. She likes music, like bands I mean, believe it or not based on the way she seems to despise your band, no offense."

"None taken. Anything else?"

"Well, you know she loves clothes based on the way she practically bit your head off when you spilled those drinks on her."

Sam grimaced but said, "Ok, tots, music and clothes. That should keep me busy for a bit and then I'll call you later if I have any more questions ok?"

"Yeah, sure." Kurt replied. He wasn't too worried about Sam having wakened him up anymore because he had just remembered that he had a date with Blaine that night and he had to start his preparations so he looked his absolute best for the cute guitarist. "Talk to you later, Sam," Kurt said quickly, suddenly in a hurry to get off the phone.

"Bye Kurt," Sam said with a smile, knowing that Blaine was already starting to freak out and get ready for his and Kurt's movie date that night. "Have fun with Blaine."

They hung up and Sam sat back on his bed wondering what the best way would be to use what Kurt had told him to get Mercedes to forgive him for whatever he had done wrong. He started to come up with a surefire plan that he thought would definitely win over Mercedes' affection.

* * *

><p>Mercedes woke up in a much better mood than the day before. She couldn't even remember why she had been so angry until she flipped over in her bed and grabbed her watch. When she did the picture of her and Sam when they were seven fell out of her nightstand drawer and everything came back to her. She still couldn't believe that he had just completely forgotten about her.<p>

I'm going to make him pay for this, she thought. I waited YEARS for him to come back to me, call me, something and I'm tired of waiting, so now he has to pay.

Mercedes decided that she was most angry because just when she was getting over losing him, he had to show up in her life again and flip her world upside down, AGAIN. I won't even mind, she thought, if I never have to see stupid Sammy Evans again.

She quickly got dressed and ready to face a new day with a brighter perspective. She remembered that Kurt had called her and told her that he had a date with Blaine, the guitar player from Pandora's Scar. She was genuinely happy for him and she focused on that happiness rather than her simmering anger as she got ready to go out.

When she opened her door she stopped dead in her tracks, because right in front of her was a bouquet of roses and a note that said, "Please come meet me at Breadstix for lunch. I promise to try and fix everything that's wrong. Sam."

Mercedes was back to being angry. If he thought that he could give her some roses and she would just forget the last 8 years, then he was crazy. Of course, he didn't seem to know that it was 8 years of mistakes that he needed to be forgiven for, which just made her angrier. She took the roses to put in a vase but she decided not to show up at Breadstix.

* * *

><p>Later that day, when she went to go outside again, Mercedes found a white paper bag full of tater tots. What on EARTH? she thought, picking up the bag and going inside. There was a note written in black permanent marker on the side that said, "I was told you like these. Please forgive me. Sam."<p>

Geez, this boy is never going to quit. It seems like he is completely determined to ruin my life and my heart again, she thought.

She stared at the bag, completely set on just tossing it in the trash, but then she decided that there was no point wasting perfectly good tots so she went in the living room and turned on a movie while eating her snack.

* * *

><p>Sam was trying to stay optimistically determined. He was a little bummed that she hadn't shown up at Breadstix, but he really hadn't expected her to. He hoped that she enjoyed the tots he left her, but he still knew that his road to forgiveness was a long one.<p>

What should I try next? he thought. He decided on giving her some clothes and accessories seeing how she seemed to love dressing up fashionably. Sam wasn't a very good clothes shopper, he tended to just throw on whatever was clean and usually went for comfort over looks. He knew that Blaine was good at giving advice on clothing and he wanted to call Kurt to ask about what clothes Mercedes likes.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Sam called Blaine at a fairly early hour, hoping not to wake up the smaller boy after his date the night before. Blaine had decided to stay at his own house in his own bed that night rather than at the hotel with the rest of the band.<p>

When the phone was picked up, it wasn't Blaine that answered but Kurt, which really surprised Sam. "Hello?" Kurt asked sleepily.

Sam laughed at the déjà vu of the scenario. "Good morning Kurt," Sam said cheerily. "I seem to keep waking you up like this."

Kurt perked up when he heard Sam's voice. "Oh, hey Sam. Did you want to talk to Blaine?"

"Well, actually, I wanted to talk to you eventually. Do you guys mind if I come over now? I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Sam questioned suggestively.

Kurt coughed, sounding embarrassed. "No, no, nothing's going on. Blaine said I could borrow his spare bedroom after we came back here from the movie and watched a few more movies. We talked for a while and it ended up being fairly late so he didn't want me to drive home."

"Sure, sure," Sam answered smiling. "So it's ok if I stop by?"

"Oh yeah, whenever, I need to wake up Blaine anyways," Kurt said. "See you soon."

When Sam arrived an hour later, Kurt was completely composed and looked like he hadn't even gone to sleep, with his hair perfectly styled as usual. Blaine, on the other hand, looked like he had just rolled out of bed, his dark curls flying everywhere and his clothes slightly rumpled.

Sam laughed when he walked in. "Good morning guys, it looks like you had a fun date."

Blaine grumbled and Kurt smiled. "What did you need to talk to us about?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I want to buy Mercedes some really nice clothes, because she likes fashion, as you know. I'm not good at picking out fashionable things, and you, Kurt, know what Mercedes likes, so I was wondering if you guys could help me out?"

Kurt squealed happily. "Oooh! We'd be delighted to, wouldn't we Blaine?"

Blaine smiled at Kurt's excitement. "Sure, Sam, whatever you want."

The boys headed out, Kurt grabbing Blaine's hand and squeezing it. This caused Sam to smile at how happy Blaine seemed, but feel bad for himself not having it so easy. They shopped all morning entering countless stores and only getting a few strange looks from minimal passersby. In all, they picked out two scarves, a jacket and a cute pair of high tops for Mercedes, which ended up costing Sam a small fortune but he felt it was well worth it.

* * *

><p>When Sam went to deliver the clothes, Mercedes was sitting on her front porch reading a magazine. At first Sam paused and thought about coming back later, but then he decided that he might as well give everything to her in person and finally see her reaction. He wanted to see if he was getting through to her or not.<p>

"Hi Mercedes!" he called.

"Hi!" she said back. "What are you doing here?"

Hmm, Sam thought, she's not ignoring me at least. "I brought you a gift."

Mercedes' eyes widened as she took in the shopping bags he was holding. Then she narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't want your money Sam! Stop buying me stuff. If you remembered who I was you would understand, but for some reason you don't and this time you can't solve your problem with money. I thought you would remember just by seeing me, but apparently not. Then I thought you would just need time, but still no. Just leave me alone, ok! I'm not going to let you ruin my life, or my heart again!" Angry tears were starting to glisten in Mercedes' eyes and Sam was more confused than ever. "Just go, Sam. And take all that stuff with you. You can't buy me!" Mercedes yelled the last part, her fury returning.

Sam stumbled backwards, shocked at her outburst and a little bit scared. He was also hurt that she wouldn't see that he was trying here. He couldn't understand why nothing he did worked. He frowned up at Mercedes. "Fine! I don't even know why I was trying so hard when you are just going to hate me no matter what."

Sam spun around and took off down the street. Mercedes crossed her arms over her chest and sat down with a groan. Why can't he just remember? she thought.

* * *

><p><em>"Sammy! I'm going to miss you so much!" Mercedes said. "Don't forget to call all the time, and email me. I'll be counting down the days until you come back."<em>

_Sam had tears in his eyes as he hugged Mercedes. The two 12-year olds were gripping hands, not wanting to leave each other and everything they had behind even though Sam's family was moving down south because Sam's dad had gotten a better job which would hopefully allow the family to have more money._

_"I'll never forget you, 'Cedes," Sam whispered, hugging her again. "I love you."_

_"I love you too, Sammy," Mercedes replied. She let go of his hand and didn't stop waving nor did she take her eyes off of their vehicle until the Evans' were well out of sight and off to start their new lives._

* * *

><p>Sam decided to head to his own house, which was also nearby. All of the band members lived nearby, but they usually stayed in a hotel no matter what to work on practicing and to avoid distractions from their family or other friends while rehearsing.<p>

When he walked through the door, Sam decided to try and figure out why Mercedes kept saying that she couldn't believe he had forgotten her. He pulled out some old photo albums that he had kept from his childhood. He had gotten a really bad case of the flu when he was 13 and suffered amnesia, not allowing him to remember anything, or mostly anything from before that time. Not many people knew this and Sam wasn't one to volunteer the information. It had never really been an issue, until now.

The first album he opened was of him when he was seven. He realized as he looked through the pictures, that he hadn't actually opened the albums since he was 13, before he'd gotten the flu. He saw himself playing with a dark-skinned girl, and it appeared that they were attached at the hip. No, he thought, it can't be.

He flipped through the whole album and saw that he and this girl were in every single picture. Then he picked up the next album that started when he was 10, and once again he and the girl were in every single picture. He pulled one out and written on the back it said, "Sammy and 'Cedes, July 2001". I can't believe it, Sam thought, Mercedes and he had been best friends since childhood. No wonder she was so angry, he would be too if his best friend had forgotten about him. What have I done? he thought.

Upon opening the next album, which started at age 13, Sam noticed that Mercedes was not in a single picture. There were many new people and children in the pictures and Sam couldn't believe that his family had just let him forget Mercedes like that. He knew he had to fix this.

Sam threw down the photo albums and raced out the door. He hadn't realized he had started crying until he reached his car. I've got to talk to her, he thought. With that thought he headed on the 20 minute drive to Mercedes' house.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Mercedes decided that maybe she was being unfair to Sam and that she should at least try and remind him of their past. Maybe, she thought, something happened that caused him to forget. She was feeling much calmer now and decided to call up Sam and try to explain.<p>

She dialed his home phone first. There was no answer so she decided to leave a message. "Hey Sam! It's Mercedes. If you get this, could you please call me back? I have something really important to tell you about our childhood. Talk to you soon, bye."

Upon hanging up, Mercedes tried his cell phone. When the phone picked up, the person that answered was definitely not Sam.

"Hi," Mercedes said. "I'm looking for Sam Evans, I'm sorry I might have the wrong number."

"No this is Sam's phone. Are you a friend?" the other person replied.

"Yes, I am. Who are you? And where is Sam? I really need to talk to him."

"I'm a police officer, miss. There's been an accident."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** For anyone that's confused, I decided to make all of them 20 now. If that doesn't make sense with something I've written in past chapters, I'm sorry. I hope you all caught why Sam forgot Mercedes, and I'll go into it more in the next chapter. If there is anything else you need cleared up just ask and then I'll know where I need a better explanation. Please review, or something, it makes my day when you do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or any of its characters. The song is Need You Now by Lady Antebellum (again) and I do not own it either.

**A/N:** So this chapter is a lot longer than planned but hopefully it will be ok. I attempted to write angst, so I hope it works. Also, I tried to clear some loose ends up in this chapter because the next one is going to be the last one. I haven't been in a hospital in at least 8 years and I have no idea how they work so I apologize for my incorrectness. I know there is such a thing as visiting hours, and you probably can't just walk in to the ICU but whatever. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 –<strong>

"NO! NO! NO!" Mercedes cried, dropping her phone in her shock and heartbreak. "He HAS to be okay. He CAN'T die!" Mercedes was crying hard now, her body wracking with sobs.

"Miss?" the police officer asked. "Miss, are you still there?"

Mercedes tried to take deep breaths before picking up the phone again. "Yes," she said, though her voice still cracked. "Please tell me he's ok."

The police officer hesitated. "Well, he has been taken to St. Rita Hospital and he's in critical condition. He's in the Intensive Care Unit and it's not looking well. I'm really sorry, miss."

"NO!" Mercedes wailed into the phone. "Thank you, officer, for letting me know." Mercedes attempted to calm down a little bit so she could think clearly enough to grab her keys and drive to the hospital.

As she drove, Mercedes tried to picture Sam's smiling face. She always ended up seeing their seven year old selves, building sandcastles, or swinging on the swings. As she tried to picture Sam as the twenty year old he is now, she could only come up with the mental image that her mind had just created upon being told about the accident. Knowing that her best friend, or the best friend she'd had all those years ago actually, could die at any minute caused a fresh wave of tears and hysteria to come over her. She ended up having to stop and attempt to calm down when she was still a few blocks from the hospital.

* * *

><p>Upon arrival at the hospital, Mercedes headed straight for the receptionist, where she asked which room Sam Evans was in. It took a bit of convincing before a nurse pointed her in the right direction, and she hurried up two floors and down a hall to reach Sam's room.<p>

The Intensive Care Unit was bustling with activity, doctors and nurses rushing in and out of rooms with concerned and concentrated expressions on their faces. When Mercedes reached Sam's room, it seemed a lot quieter than the others.

She looked inside and noticed that Sam was lying on a hospital bed with his eyes closed and his head, and arms extremely bandaged. The rest of his body was plastered and bandaged too, but Mercedes couldn't tell because of the light blanket that covered his still form. On either side of Sam were two people that Mercedes would have recognized anywhere, Sam's parents.

Mercedes squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. The boy she had been in love with for the last 13 years (fine, she'd admit it to herself) was lying in a coma in the ICU at a hospital. His parents, that she hadn't seen since the family had moved away 8 years ago, were right there but once again, they are in a hospital. "I can't do this," Mercedes said. She went to turn away from the room but her body had other ideas and before she knew it she was slipping into the room.

* * *

><p>Sam's parents looked up at her, hoping it was a doctor to bring them good news. What they saw was almost as big a shock as the phone call they had gotten telling them Sam had been in an accident. "Mercedes?" Sam's mom asked, staring at her with red-rimmed eyes. "Is that really you?"<p>

"Hi Mrs. Evans," Mercedes whispered. She had this weird feeling about talking too loud in a hospital. "How is he doing?"

"Not too well," Mrs. Evans replied before sobbing into her husband's chest, unable to keep talking.

"Do you mind if I talk to him?" she asked, hesitantly, knowing that they hadn't seen her in 8 years and were probably wondering what on earth she was doing there on top of them wanting to stay with their son as long as possible.

"Sure, Mercedes, we were told it is good to talk to him. To try and get him to wake up, it helps," Mr. Evans informed her. "We should probably go and get something to eat quickly anyway. It doesn't look like anything is going to change too much in the next few minutes."

"Thanks," Mercedes said, slightly shocked that they'd agreed.

As Sam's parents exited the room, Mercedes went and sat in the seat that Sam's mother had previously occupied and took a hold of his hand. She started to sob again when it felt limp in her hand, but it was warm so she had hope.

"Hey Sammy," she said, squeezing his hand. "Please wake up. Everyone is counting on you to be here still. You have to hold on; you have so much that you still need to do with your life. Twenty is WAY too young to die. I want to ask you to wake up for me, but I know I've been a real jerk to you these last few days, so if not for me, wake up for your friends. I know Blaine needs you, and Puck, and Mike and Tina. They're all counting on you to be there for them as the amazing friend I remember you to be and the amazing person I know you still are now.

I was only a jerk to you because I was angry. I was mad that you could possibly forget me when you promised that you would NEVER forget me and what we had. I put all of my faith in you and you just threw it in my face. I was so angry because you called once about a month after you moved but not again after that. I waited for you for 5 years and then I just had to give up because I knew you would never come back to me. I couldn't believe you had ditched me to hang out with some rich snobs when you had promised me that money would never affect you or your judgement. I looked up to you and I admired you and you let me down. I just couldn't forgive you right away for all those years that I waited for you just to have you forget about me.

And then I heard about your band. That you had not only joined a band with your rich friends, but that you guys were famous and you were starting to take your money for granted. At that point I was so angry, but Kurt was so set on seeing you guys in concert that I had to go. Then we ran into each other and you had no clue at all as to who I was. I couldn't believe that you were so stuck up that you couldn't even remember your best friend. Now I'm starting to feel that maybe I can forgive you, and let you explain your side of the story, but it might be too late and I feel like I'm losing my best friend all over again."

Mercedes finished her speech with tears streaming down her face. "Please, Sammy, please wake up." She laid her head down on the side of the bed, continuing to hold Sam's hand, and cried.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later Sam's parents walked back into the room. They were holding hands and seemed to want to talk to Mercedes about something. They pulled up another chair and the three of them kept a vigil at Sam's bedside.<p>

"Mercedes," Mr. Evans stated. "We should probably explain what happened all of those years ago when we moved away. I know Sam would want you to know, even though we know he couldn't remember you."

Mercedes looked at them. "What do you mean? Did something happen to him that made him not remember?"

"Well," started Sam's mother, looking to Sam's dad who squeezed her hand reassuringly. "When we first moved, all Sam wanted to do was call you and talk to you for hours on the phone. He missed you so much but we wanted him to try and meet kids his age in the new neighbourhood so we convinced him to keep his calls to a minimum. A few months after we arrived, he got the flu. At first it didn't seem that bad, he had gotten the flu before, but this just wouldn't go away. He ended up having to go to the hospital and be put on oxygen and a lot of really strong medications. He was really close to dying for a while. But then, one day he woke up and seemed bright and chipper and happy. We were so happy that he was ok. We also knew that something was wrong because he couldn't remember anything that happened before he had gotten the flu. He had no idea that we had just moved, and he couldn't remember you at all. It made us really sad that our little boy had lost all of that, but we also knew that he would be able to start adjusting to his new life, because he wouldn't be constantly asking to go back and live with your family. We didn't know it would end up as bad as it did. We thought it was one of those amnesia stints that last for a few weeks or months so when it didn't go away we were shocked. We immediately tried to remind him of you and his past life, we knew that you were probably expecting some sort of contact from him, but he now had no interest in trying to remember anymore. He wanted to keep moving forward with his life."

Mrs. Evans took a deep breath to steady herself after she finished the story. "We're really sorry, Mercedes. We didn't know that it was going to end up like this. If we had, we would have attempted to get him to remember sooner."

Mercedes wasn't sure when, but sometime during the story, silent tears had started cascading down her face. So Sam hadn't willingly forgotten her, she thought, he had been very sick and just couldn't remember. She felt terrible, because this whole week she could have attempted to mend their broken friendship but instead she had been so angry at him that she had pushed him away, and now he could die.

"Thank you for telling me," Mercedes said calmly. "It's good to know what happened."

Mercedes continued to sit there staring at Sam's serene face, willing him to open his eyes, but nothing happened.

"Honey," Sam's mother said. "You should really get some sleep, you'll have to be strong to try and convince Sam to wake up tomorrow."

Mercedes yawned. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. Evans." She got up and slowly left the room, giving one last longing look to Sam's still form before turning around. She really hoped it wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

* * *

><p>Mercedes hardly slept at all that night. Every time she closed her eyes she kept picturing Sam in that hospital, or crumpled on the ground after the accident. She was just so afraid that he would die while she wasn't at the hospital with him.<p>

The following morning she awoke at 6am and hurried to her car, knowing that she may not get to see him for a few more hours. She went to the hospital anyways in hopes of good news.

* * *

><p>When she arrived, she headed straight back to Sam's room in the ICU. It looked exactly as it did the night before, and Sam's parents were still there.<p>

"Hey," she whispered. "You guys should really get some sleep. I can stay here and call you guys if anything changes."

Sam's dad looked up at Mercedes with tired eyes. "Thank you, Mercedes," he said. "For everything you're doing and have done for Sam."

"We promised each other years ago that we would be best friends forever, and I keep my promises." Mercedes mustered up a supportive smile for the Evans' as they got up to leave the room.

She once again took Mrs. Evans' chair and squeezed Sam's limp hand. "Oh Sammy, please come back to me."

As she looked at him, she started to sing:

_Picture perfect memories  
>Scattered all around the floor<br>Reaching for the phone 'cause  
>I can't fight it anymore<em>

And I wonder if I  
>Ever cross your mind<br>For me it happens all the time

As she sang, Mercedes remembered Sam singing these exact same lyrics to her only a few days earlier. He hadn't even remembered who she was, but he had still sung to her as if some part of his subconscious remembered her and wanted her forgiveness. Now she was singing, asking for HIS forgiveness and for him to come back to her from whatever dark oblivion he was lost in.

_It's a quarter after one  
>I'm all alone<br>And I need you now  
>Said I wouldn't call<br>But I've lost all control  
>And I need you now<em>

And I don't know how  
>I can do without<br>I just need you now

When she finished the song, she started to weep again. She slowly leaned over to place a soft kiss on the back of his hand. "You were and always will be my best friend, Sammy. I love you."

After saying these words, Mercedes heard the machine that was monitoring his heart start to beep erratically and then he flat-lined. "SAM!" she screamed. "NO!"

* * *

><p>After a second, the beeping (and Sam's heart) started again at a regular, healthy sounding rate. Mercedes had tears streaming down her face as she clung to Sam's hand like it was a life line.<p>

She didn't miss when she felt a weak squeeze back or when she looked up to see Sam's eyelids flutter. He blinked blearily at her before saying, "'Cedes?"

"SAMMY!" she cried before flinging her arms around the boy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So here it is! Normally I would probably have made him die (that's just the way I write) but I could not kill of Sam (he's one of my absolute favourite Glee characters, and I don't have any storyline if he were to die). I think it was obvious, but I never actually said that it was a car accident, so in case anyone was confused, that's what it was. I hope you guys liked it and that my efforts at angst were adequate. As I said, the next chapter is my last one and I want to thank everyone that has been reading so far. I love reviews! So please let me know if you liked my writing and if you would read if I attempted another fanfiction. Thanks! Please review :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** I Need You Now

**Category:** Glee

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Genre:** Romance/Angst

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee, any of its characters or any of the original songs that they wrote (Light Up The World and Loser Like Me). I also don't own Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, Price Tag by Jessie J and For the First Time by The Script. Finally, I don't own We Belong Together by Randy Newman, or anything else that has to do with Toy Story 3.

**A/N:** This is the final chapter of this story. I'm sorry it took so long to post but it's here now. I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, favourited and alerted. I hope you enjoy this final chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 –<strong>

Doctors and nurses rushed into the room to check on Sam. Mercedes was unceremoniously pushed out the door but as she looked back, Sam's weak smile up at her was enough to know that they would be ok and they would talk later.

In the mean time, Mercedes called Sam's parents to tell them that he was awake. Sam's mother started crying right on the phone, out of happiness that her son had survived yet another life threatening occurrence (the first being his terrible run-in with the flu). Sam's father told Mercedes that they would be right over to the hospital, and thanked her for waiting with him and letting them know.

Mercedes paced the waiting room, impatiently. She just wanted to go and talk to Sam; all she wanted was to run back in there and fling her arms around him and have him tell her that he loved her back. Mercedes probably would have been angry at having to wait but it was impossible because Sam was awake and alive so nothing at all could dampen her mood.

* * *

><p>It took the doctor's a little while, but soon Sam was moved to a regular room and Mercedes was allowed to go back in and see him. When she walked in, Sam's eyes lit up and he flashed a huge big-lipped smile at her.<p>

"Hey Sammy," she said uncertainly. "How're you feeling?"

Sam took a second to clear the grogginess out of his throat before answering. "I feel fine 'Cedes. My head aches a little but I guess that's to be expected. I'm so happy you're here though. I wanted to tell you that I remember everything and I can't believe I was even able to forget to begin with. You're my best friend and I definitely haven't been acting like one for the last 8 years. I'm really sorry 'Cedes and I hope someday you'll forgive me." Sam looked up at her with pleading eyes and she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes.

"Oh, Sammy, I know and I already have. You're parents told me everything yesterday. I missed you so much these last 8 years and all I want is for everything to go back to the way it was when we were 7, or even 12. I love you, Sammy, I've loved you for as long as I can remember." She held his hand with one of hers and looked lovingly into his eyes.

Sam's smile could not have been brighter. "Oh, 'Cedes, I love you too. So, so much." He reached up his hand to caress her face and she bent over to lean their foreheads together. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and found him kissing back. This, she thought, is the definition of pure bliss.

* * *

><p>Sometime during Sam and Mercedes' kiss Sam's parents arrived but they decided not to break up the two because they looked so happy and in love. At the moment, the song We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 started playing on the hospital's radio that had been playing quietly in the background in Sam's room. Mercedes tuned into the words and laughed at how correct they were. She reached over and hugged Sam being careful of his still many bandages.<p>

"I love you so much, let's promise never to forget each other again," Mercedes said quietly.

"I promise you that I will never, ever forget you again. I love you 'Cedes."

About 30 seconds later, Sam's parents entered the room and, again, a bright smile lit up Sam's face.

"Sam, thank God you're ok." Sam's mother rushed to his side to engulf him in a careful hug. Mercedes was still standing at his side holding his hand and Sam wouldn't let go even as he hugged his mom back.

"I love you guys, and I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"Oh, Sam, it wasn't your fault. That drunk driver will be charged and we're just so glad that you're awake. We love you so much." Sam's father walked up to the side of his bed and put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

The family and Mercedes stayed in the room for a while longer before a nurse came in and said she needed to change Sam's bandages. Mercedes gave Sam a parting look, full of emotion that was conveyed easily to Sam, and they both knew that everything was going to be ok.

* * *

><p>A week later, after Sam had been released from the hospital, he and Mercedes met up with Kurt and Blaine at the Lima Bean. All that was left of physical evidence of Sam's accident was his need of crutches for his broken leg and some bruising on his neck, arms and back. He was back to being his happy self and he was able to hold Mercedes' hand and use the crutches at the same time.<p>

"Sam!" Blaine's cry could be heard throughout the coffee shop. Blaine ran and threw his arm across Sam's shoulders. "We were so worried about you."

Sam laughed at Blaine's excitedness. Mercedes looked past Blaine to see Kurt holding his and Blaine's coffee and smirking at Blaine. Mercedes raced up to Kurt, and after safely dropping the coffees on a nearby table, she embraced him.

"It feels like I haven't talked to you in forever," she said. "I've been distracted with Sam and you have Blaine, it seems." Mercedes raised an eyebrow at Kurt and he blushed.

"We need to be sure to set up a shopping date really soon," Kurt replied, a light blush still evident on his pale face. The two friends looked up to see Sam and Blaine deep in discussion as well. "Come on," said Kurt. "Let's find a place to sit before these coffees get cold."

* * *

><p>Blaine and Kurt sat across from Sam and Mercedes at a small table in the coffee shop, holding hands and staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Mercedes knew that something had gone on there and she made a mental note to get all the details from Kurt when they went shopping.<p>

"So," Sam said. "I was thinking while I was in the hospital, and Blaine agreed when I asked him, but how would you guys' band like to be our opening band for our tour next summer." Kurt and Mercedes exchanged shocked expressions.

"It could be fun," Blaine added. "Getting to perform all over the country, great publicity for your band, and we'd get to see each other every day."

Kurt looked like he was about to scream, and Mercedes flung her arms around Sam's neck. "That would be SO amazing!" she cried kissing Sam on the cheek. "Are you guys serious?"

Sam laughed, happy that Mercedes was so excited. "Yes, I think it would be the perfect excuse to spend as much time as possible with you, and it would be good for your band too."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kurt cried, kissing Blaine on the cheek too.

Mercedes hurriedly texted the rest of their band members to ask if they were interested and it only took a minute before her inbox was flooded with excited texts from everyone saying, "YES!"

"Well, I guess that settles it," Sam laughed as Mercedes showed him her phone. "New Directions and Pandora's Scar will be touring together next summer."

"Yay!" Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine all cried, flinging their arms around each other before they all burst out laughing.

* * *

><p><em>One year later...<em>

"And we are the New Directions!" Mercedes cried to the excited, screaming fans. The roar from the crowd inspired the band to play better than they had ever played before. It was fitting that they had made it back to their hometown after touring for a while and were giving their best performance of the summer to the people that had gotten them started.

As their set was about to finish, they jumped into one of the songs that they had written themselves, Loser Like Me. The whole crowd screamed their approval and started singing along. Mercedes had the biggest smile ever on her face and she looked off to the side to see Sam wink at her and give her a thumbs up. With that, she made sure to sing her heart out for the rest of the song, and it resulted in the entire crowd jumping to their feet for a massive standing ovation.

When Sam's band came onstage to take over, Sam gave Mercedes a hug. "That was amazing, 'Cedes!" he exclaimed. "You guys are getting better and better every time you play."

Mercedes smiled. "Thanks, Sammy!" She squeezed him again before leaving the stage, but standing close enough to give encouragement.

Sam's band went through their regular playlist and they also added some newer songs such as Price Tag by Jessie J and For the First Time by The Script. They also sang some songs that they had written including Light Up The World. The crowd loved them as usual, and the cheering and screaming coming from the audience could be heard throughout the park.

When the performance ended, Mercedes, Kurt and the rest of their band ran onto the stage for one final song, Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. Mercedes and Sam called it THEIR song because it had started and saved their relationship and it always had the ability to bring the audience to their feet. Mercedes and Sam sang it as a duet and no matter how many times they sang it it never lost its special meaning to them.

As soon as the song finished, Mercedes threw her arms around Sam in a tight embrace. "I love you, Sammy," she whispered in his ear.

"Love you too, 'Cedes," he replied tightening his arms. When he let her go, he continued to hold her hand as they waved at the audience.

On the other side of the stage, Blaine and Kurt were also holding hands and waving while the rest of the members of the two bands high-fived and jumped up and down excitedly.

"That was amazing!" Mercedes cried when they all exited the stage. "This has been the best summer ever!" She squeezed Sam's hand and he pulled her in for a kiss as the rest of the band members cheered in the background.

"You're right, 'Cedes. That was incredible. I love you so much. And I will, forever," Sam said in a matter of fact tone.

Mercedes giggled at Sam's expression. "Forever sounds good to me," she said swinging their arms as they walked back to the bus that had served as their home all summer. "I will love you forever."

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So there it is. I hope you liked it. I was listening to You've Got a Friend in Me and then We Belong Together from Toy Story while I was writing this and I was thinking that it was just so cute that it seemed to fit Sam and Mercedes' situation. Please review and let me know if you liked this final chapter. I have two ideas for new fanfics. One involves astronauts and fighting (sort of like the fighting during sectionals), and the other includes drunk driving and amnesia (in a different way than this one). I haven't decided whether to pair Kurt/Blaine or Sam/Mercedes for them (I might split it, one each) but please review and let me know which you would prefer to read about. I would like to thank EragonArya (again) for all her help throughout the writing of this story, and for getting me to attempt in the first place. I am going to be incredibly busy for the next 3 months so a new fanfic might not make it up for that time period. Thank you all for all your reviews that you have done so far, they make my day every time I see one. Thanks for all your support throughout this story. Happy writing and reading! :)


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